Griffe mon amour, why do we snub generic drugs?
They cost us a billion euros more every year, yet we prefer (especially in the South) branded drugs to generics, which however contain the same active ingredient and guarantee the same quality and safety. Facts, numbers and comments
More than a year has passed and, despite the good intentions announced by the Ministry of Health to make Italians think again about generic drugs, nothing has changed. As has been the case for the last 7 years now, also in 2024 Egualia, the representative body of the generics industry, confirms that we are willing to spend an extra billion euros so as not to give up branded medicines. Furthermore, differences between regions persist.
THE GENERIC MARKET IN PHARMACIES
In 2023, in pharmacies open to the public, generics – Egualia reports – absorbed 22.7% of the total market in packages and 15.5% of the market in values. 89% of the packages sold are classified in class A (totally reimbursable by the NHS), where they absorb 12.6% of the total class expenditure.
In values, the generics market is worth 1.6 billion euros, with 81.5% of the sector's turnover concentrated in class A.
Generics account for almost 23% of the total pharmaceutical market, while brands with expired patents account for 53.9%. Exclusive drugs (protected or without corresponding generic) finally absorb the other 23.4% of the overall market. As regards the overall segment of off-patent drugs, generics absorb 29.7% compared to the 70.3% held by off-patent brands.
In terms of values, however, generics account for only 15.5% of the total pharmaceutical market, compared to the 51.2% absorbed by brands with expired patents. Exclusive drugs absorb the other 33.4% of the overall market. As regards the segment of off-patent drugs alone, in terms of values, generics represent 23.2% against the 76.8% held by off-patent brands.
GENERICS IN HOSPITAL
As regards the hospital channel, generics absorbed 33.6% of the market in volumes (+2.5% compared to 2022). Exclusive drugs – under patent or without a generic – instead absorbed 34.7% (+0.2% compared to 2022) of the market in lane. The remaining share of the channel market is in the hands of brands with expired patents which have concentrated 31.8% (-2.6% compared to 2022) of consumption in the aisle.
In detail, patent-expired consumption in the hospital market refers 51% to generics and 49% to expired-patent brands.
The analysis of the market in terms of values continues to record the absolute predominance of exclusive products, which total 92.4% of the pharmaceutical turnover in the hospital channel, compared to 5.3% of brands with expired patents and 2, 3% of generics. In particular, the hospital market with expired patents, in terms of values, is absorbed 70% by brands with expired patents and 30% by generics.
GENERICS LIKE MORE IN THE NORTH
Another data that emerges from the Egualia report is that generic drugs continue to be preferred in the North (39.8% in units and 33% in values), compared to the Center (29% in units and 26.1% in values) and in the South (23.7% in units and 21.9% in values), compared to an Italian average of 32% in packs and 26.1% in values.
But marked differences can also be observed between regions. The highest incidence of consumption is in the autonomous province of Trento (44.7%), in Friuli Venezia Giulia (41.9%) and Piedmont (40%); while in the queue for generic consumption are Sicily (22.7%), Campania (21.9%) and Calabria (21.7%).
THE COST OF NOT CHOOSING GENERICS
In 2023, therefore, the report concludes, citizens paid 1,029 million euros of price differential out of their own pockets to buy the branded drug – better known and more expensive – instead of the generic – at a lower price – fully reimbursed by the Ssn.
The highest incidence at regional level is recorded in Molise (15.9% of regional NHS spending in the retail channel) and Lazio (16.2%). The lowest one is found once again in Lombardy, where the differential paid out of pocket by citizens amounts to 10.5% of the regional NHS expenditure for "designer" medicines.
IS IT ALL THE FAULT OF DISTRUST?
What does not favor the purchase of generics is widespread mistrust on the part of consumers, as well as suboptimal communication on the part of doctors and pharmacists, who have obligations towards people.
As stated by Andrea Mandelli, president of the Federation of Italian pharmacist orders (Fofi), "one citizen in three still has little trust in equivalent medicines and is willing to pay more to have branded ones" but, he added, "medicines equivalents contain the same active ingredient as the original ones, guaranteeing the same quality and safety". Furthermore, "they cost less since they did not support the research costs which were instead borne by the manufacturer who created the drug".
The president of Egualia, Stefano Collatina, instead observed that the survey commissioned to Swg showed "that citizens have a lot of trust in the judgment of the doctor and pharmacist and therefore it is important that correct communication is made according to the clear existing legislation" . In fact, today, Il Sole 24 Ore reminds us, the pharmacist is obliged by law to offer the generic as an alternative to the branded one when a customer asks for the drug at the counter.
Doctors, for their part, can include the brand of the drug on the prescription but must also indicate the active ingredient. If they believe that the branded medicine is not replaceable, they must write a short justification. “We have a big communication problem – explained Collatina -. This is why we need a collective communication campaign on the equivalent drug: the last one officially launched by the Ministry of Health dates back to 2007".
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/griffe-mon-amour-perche-snobbiamo-i-farmaci-generici/ on Sun, 02 Jun 2024 05:58:53 +0000.